What makes good music? This is a question that has been discussed, argued, theorised and studied for many years. So many people have completely different ideas about music, whether they are eighty year old professors who have spent their life studying the nature of music or a three year old just beginning their musical journey. This, I believe, is the greatest aspect of music, is that all people, regardless of background or culture enjoy music in some form.

But what makes good music? There are so many diverse opinions that I have heard it sometimes can be a bit overwhelming! Whether we’re listening to the school ensemble, the professional orchestra or to whats on the radio, so many people like or dislike, hate or love what they hear. Even in classical music, playing the same piece, two different performers can sound completely different. There are arguments that music must be researched, every note and dynamic must be played just so and that all performances must be played in the style they are written. Others argue that music must be played with long phrases, some dynamics are to be taken less literally than others and some are discarded altogether. Sometimes it seems that people spend more time talking about the way music is to be played than actually playing the music themselves!

In my opinion I think every approach is valuable. A period performance of a Baroque piece, played on Baroque instruments with gut strings and curved bows can be just as enjoyable as a modern interpretation with steel strings and a romantic musicality. For me, the style in which a piece is performed does not concern me. What will capture my attention in a performance is honesty.

Even if a performer has a few memory slips or intonation errors, if they play in an honest and confident way than I will always enjoy their performance more than someone who has played completely accurately but failed to express themselves or the piece in a meaningful way. So for me, good music is about honesty, whether it’s Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic or it’s the local band playing at the pub down the road. This may sound simple, but it is can be difficult to create music which remains true to itself and to the performer. And even if a performer has striven to create something which is heartfelt, audience members can sometimes react unfavorably. But this is always a reflection of the nature of music – that not everybody will be happy with what you have achieved. The only thing that musicians can do is to remain true to ourselves and to the music and hope that our art can make an impression on those who listen.